Tag: Little Free Libraries

Yesterday, I spent the day completing random acts of kindness. It was a wonderful day and with each act of kindness I felt empowered and confident.

I started the day with my dear friend, Jamie Seitz. Our love for books has bound us together as lifetime friends. We both cleaned out bookshelves and shared some of our favorite reads with patrons of the Little Free Libraries. If you would like to locate a Little Free Library near you, please visit their website https://littlefreelibrary.org . We filled 13 libraries with nearly 170 books in the pouring rain.

I continued the days with more random acts. I wrote anonymous letters of kindness to people who have touched my life or the lives of my children to just say thank you.

I sat at the public library and paid a few small fines for patrons. It was a slow day at the library and I left a note at the librarians desk with cash and asked her to please put the money toward patrons who could not use the library because of their fines. The library is such a wonderful gift and I wanted to share it with someone who might be blocked from using the many resources that the Des Moines Public Library has to offer.

I have been saving cans and bottles for the last three months to donate to an individual who supplements their income by can collection. I found just the person. I drove thru the Hy-Vee parking lot. I helped him with his cans and bottles. He had a couple of large bags and headed toward the recycling center. After he got inside, I went back to my car and filled up a shopping cart, moved it inside and told him to have a nice day. He followed me out and asked, “Hey, what is this all about?” I told him they were for him. He smiled and thanked me.

There are few things that I hate more than receiving a parking ticket. My next stop was downtown. I drove around for about twenty minutes looking for the Parking Enforcement Officers. It was raining very hard and I never located them. So, I walked down Locust Street filling meters for those that expired meters and ones that were close to expiring.

My last random act of the day was to stop along the roadside and give cash to those individuals who were standing there hoping someone would stop and help. As I handed one gentleman the money, he thanked me with tears in his eyes.

I enjoyed this day so much. When I retire, I am going to spend a day each month like this. But for now, I am going to try to be kinder all the time. There is no need to honk because the guy in front of you did not move instantly when the light changed. There is no need to dart into a parking spot ahead of someone. Do you really think the three minutes you saved by cutting in front of the frazzled mom of three at the grocery store is going to make a difference to you?

It just takes such a little amount of time or money or kindness to really impact someone. Kindness matters.

The List

Write a monthly thank you to someone who has had a big impact on my life

Give blood

Spend an entire day completing random acts of kindness

Grant a wish from my mom’s bucket list

Get real with money

Say no and mean it and feel no guilt

Ask for help with no guilt or delay

Allow myself to be photographed more often

Spend a weekend at the monastery

Learn about other religions

Join my church as a member

Lose 20 pounds

Belly Dancing Class

Pole Dancing Class

Body Cleanse and Detox

Reflexology

Acupuncture

Tai Chi

Learn to Bartend

Learn to Grill

Take an Improv Class

Ziplining

Rock Climbing

Hot Air Ballooning

Disc Golf

Laser Tag

Paint Ball

Big Repairs on the house this year

Get a tattoo

Have a reading by psychic

Go to the rodeo

Grape Stomping–yes like the time Lucy and Ethel made wine

Tandem biking

Compete in an event at the State Fair

Drive a convertible

Work for a flower shop and deliver flowers for a day

Write a blog

Read a new book each week

Read all the books that my book club selects

Film Festival

Music Festival

Get a passport–the plan to travel out of the country begins..

Road Trip alone…Thelma and Louise with no Louise…

Train Trip

Stephen Colbert Show

Independent Bookstore Tour around the Midwest

Facial

Visit with a cosmetologist for a makeup makeover

Join AARP

Have a colonoscopy

The items that have been marked through are completed items.

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